#ekko's stronger than me i would have never left

[maniacace]

two consecutive reactions to arcane s2ep7, an exhibit

[demacianpuppet]

Some more thoughts/observation regarding Viktor and whatever he had going on his cult because I'm obsessed.

First of all, what exactly was Salo doing there? He went to the power source of the Hex Gates to get some (raw) Hextech crystals I assume but this leave me with more questions than answers.

For what exactly did Viktor need the crystals?

I would assume stealing from the source, which is locked behind a specific key (which seem to only open with Hextech) makes it easier do than from higher up of the Hex Gates. Considering Viktor's followers are just an extension from Viktor himself, they have the easiest option to sneak into it.

Also, Salo wears no protection gear, something that the people who maintain the Hextech Gate clearly do as seen in Season 1.

One detail I didn't catch while watching the first time is that the discussion between Jayce and Viktor happens in the Wild Rune and also seems to be Viktor who frees Jayce from it.

(Maybe Viktor knew something about Jayce being trapped in the Wild Rune which would explain why only Jayce materialized when Salo appeared and Heimerdinger and Ekko are still missing.)

So more interesting details - first of all Salo wasn't breathing the whole dialogue. You can see how Jayce breath condensed in the Hex Gates while Salo's never did. It also lines up that Jayce saw some empty husk creature whenever he looked at Viktor's followers.

Not consider how creepy the whole scene was because we see Salo is absolutely not acting like Salo, constantly switching to being possessed by Viktor.

Also, when Jayce dispose of the empty husk that once Salo was, the blood is not just red but also prismatic. His body has been also fundamentally changed from the inside.

Also Viktor doesn't seen to really care that Jayce just killed someone? Like sure, he is worried for Jayce and mentioned that someone is in his head but she shows no pity for Salo who just got killed?

I continue that none of the Viktor's followers actually acted like normal human being. Like Huck showed no sign of fear when the Noxian appear with their weapon, nor do any other people reacted with fear when Jayce appears with his weapon in his hand and clearly not best mental state.

As someone else already pointed out, you don't see anyone doing anything but to work. No children playing, no people talking with each other. Again, not human, not normal.

Whenever Viktor touched someone and tries to heal them, you can see how he left his fingerprints on them. (Vander/Warwick has them as well.)

Interesting Viktor could spot Jayce mental state without touching him, makes me wonder how close he needs to be to a person. Maybe Jayce is a special case because they both are touched by the Arcane?

When Singed talked with Viktor, Singed touched Vikor's hand and he instantly glimpsed into Singed mind. It seems to be not even an active thing he does.

(Does it mean back then Jayce hugged him after he just woke up from his metamorphosis did he already had seen the weapons Jayce had crafted during that time in his mind?)

Interesting that Singed mentioned that Viktor grows weaker, you would assume whatever the Hexcore does should be like a virus, so more people would make it stronger and not weaker.

Was this the reason why Viktor wanted the Hextech Crystals? To make a new Hexcore to replace his failing energy source? So many question, no answers.

Also what exactly was Viktor doing when he was levitating while being connected via strings to something? Did the writers just need a reason why Viktor would not try fight back when Jayce appeared? Did he was ready to face the possibility that Jayce could actually do harm to him?

Jayce goes into the room, does the shot and refusing to even look when he was firing it. There is one frame there you can see mirror version of Jayce reading the shot, it makes me wonder how often he went to Viktor and tried to change the outcome.

Jayce also left immediately once the deed was done. While Jayce was clearly tearing up, he ran way instantly.

Viktor just watched Jayce do the shot, fear in his eyes and he couldn't stop staring at him until his last breath was leaving him. The cog (which is not the same one during Hextech breakthrough) rolled away from his hand.

We know that Viktor ends the episode with his monologue how emotions are problem but I wonder if he knew that would happened and a part of him (or the Hexcore) becked Jayce to do the shot so he finally could get rid of his heart and/or influence of the Hexcore for good.

Because in Viktor's mindscape Viktor behaved like he always did while in reality he is very emotionalless despite everything.

Also going back to the hive mind thing - their life energy was clearly connected to the Hexcore which was the reason why they all started dying when the Hexcore was destroyed.

Despite Jayce ruining everything according the fans, I don't think Viktor would have stayed alive much longer anyway with Ambessa and Singed near. I wonder if this was the best-case scenario so that they would not get the Hexcore in their hands or if Jayce basically did a self-fulfilling prophecy with this action.

[pinkcowzz]

ahhh so. warning. will be talking about arcane s2 spoilers below the cut. i have. so! many. thoughts.

i've seen a few takes that s2 felt very rushed to some people, and like. yeah? i can get that. but also. not really.

there was A Lot of ground to cover so it moved very quickly but the pacing actually made a lot of sense to me. i think that this show has never attempted to tell each characters story in the fullest. like, to me, that's what makes the world building so good. you are only witnessing part of the story. there is only so much of each character that we, the viewers are allowed to see.

yes there was a lot introduced in the final act, yes some of it made zero sense. but, to me at least, it makes it so much more realistic and immersive.

the final act is war time. shit happens fast. decisions are made and acted upon almost immediately. there isn't time to mourn and there isn't time to grieve. if you stop, you will die so you must keep marching forward.

we don't get to see what signed is up to, we don't get to understand the complexities between mel and her mother, we don't get time to break down how the arcane is changing we just have to know that something is happening and it will affect us so we must do something to react.

moving on, i really wanna talk about jayce and viktor first because. their final discussion, had me ill. i'm honestly really glad that they are never officially established in the show, because it makes their bond that much stronger to me.

the first season, we see how their studies connected them and propelled them forward. in jayces case, it pushes him into politics. in viktors, deeper into the arcane. they had to set everything else aside *cough cough their morals and personal relationships(sky & each other)* in order to achieve what they wanted to achieve.

in the second season, we see how that was their demise. for viktor, the creators did an amazing job showing us this with the scene between him and sky.

'i'll miss our talks'

'no you won't'

like holy shit? in those two lines, we see how viktor has fundamentally changed. his goals, his objectives, they got lost somewhere. in the first season, we do see how much viktor enjoys discussing his ideals and thoughts, its what drives him to go and find jayce in the first place.

and as for jayce, he's icarus. he flew too close to the sun and he, in a lot of ways, is the beginning of the end. while ekko and heimerdinger were building their way out of the alt time line, he was witnessing the destruction his invention brought about.

and don't even get me started on them calling each other their partner during their entire last talk. like wtf im ILL.

okay! onto jinx! (and isha and vi) i have. heard a lot of complaints about how one- her death was for shock value and two- that isha's death was glossed over and i whole-heartily disagree.

i think first off, jinx isn't dead. there a lot of people out there who can put the details together more precisely than i care to tbh, but my biggest reason is the airship we see at the end. these creators LOVE their foreshadowing and i mean LOVE (think viktor showing off the invention and shooting that gun to how that gun is later used). i think it's literally the first episode that powder says she wants to ride in one and ur telling me the last episode we get a shot of one flying away? yeah no. my girl is alive and breaking the cycle.

speaking of breaking the cycle, vi would never be able to move on with her life if jinx is still around. she would never be able to grow, to be willing to work on her relationship with cait, would never be able to escape the guilt, etc etc. that's like, a big point that i think a lot of people are missing.

for vi, jinx is everything. and she should be. she is the only family she has left. and had she not walked away from her, there is NO TELLING what would've happened to the two of them.

jinx's 'death' was for the both of them. they can move on now, they are free to allow the shit show that was their childhood be in the past. like hello?????? did y'all not listen to the conversation that she had with ekko in the alt time line? you need to let go of some things to be able to move onto the next and it sucks and it hurts and its shitty but the world will keep spinning.

and the only way that jinx was able to come to this conclusion is because she lost isha. had isha still been around, she would have had to stick around zaun and piltover. but also. i need y'all to realize that jinx is used to losing people, she is used to grief, it is a close friend to her.

and i think, thematically too, vi not moving to the other ledge is SO IMPORTANT. she CAN'T let vander go. that was her father, that man raised her, she couldn't let him go. are y'all connecting the dots? like! hello! do you see?

vi has never been one to let someone she loves go lightly. the entire first season she is grappling with this idea that her sister changed, that she moved on and allowed herself to let her past (kinda) go. it doesn't make sense to her. she allows caitlyn back so easily because it terrifies her to lose someone in her life.

that is who she is in her core.

and that is why jinx makes the decision for her. it's her way of saying, 'i see you, i understand you and i will make the hard call for you because i love you'

so yeah, like i said. a lot of thoughts. im so excited to see wtf is going on in noxus in the future show and am so intrigued by whatever the fuck is going on with mel.

also. maybe it's just me. but i love an open ending. i think being able to talk about the what if's and the maybe is so much fun. not everything has to be wrapped up with a bow on top. again, we, the viewers, only get a small insight into the world the characters live in. this show could go on for ages if we followed them all the way through their lives. this was never meant to be that type of show. go watch friends or smthn if you want a formulaic story that will clean every lose end up for you.

we follow these characters through a formative moment in their life, what happens next is up to them. (and psst. that's what fan fiction is for)

[mxaether]

MITCH MARNER -VS- TORONTO MEDIA/TORONTO FANS/HIMSELF/EVERYONE (a playlist for when you love a thing so much, and it bites you)

track list and selected lyrics for each under the cut ❤️

1. I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe - OK GO i want you, yeah, i want you/ i want you, yeah, i want you bad/ so bad i can't think straight/ so bad all my bones shake / so bad i can't breathe 2. Careful What You Wish For (the doctor said to) - Jack Harris something is missing/this predisposition/i feel like i'm living inside of my head 3. Who Made You A Monster? - Hael tricking the world to trust you/but everything that you say/is some kind of sordid lie/who taught you how to lie so well? 4. GOSSIP - Maneskin, Tom Morello welcome to the city of lies/where everything's got a price/gonna be your favourite place -- so sip the gossip, drink till you choke/sip the gossip, burn down your throat 5. Don't Be Nice - Watsky false modesty is a guilty habit/some people simply have it/but the fact is i would not have spent a decade doing this/if i did not believe i was at least a tiny bit ridiculously filthy at it 6. JEKYLL & HIDE - Bishop Briggs sweet and then you're sour/changes by the hour/never know which one i'll taste 7. End of It - Friday Pilots Club it's cruel you know/the way they've been treating you lately/get you real messed up on the daily 8. Nowhere Kid - Des Rocs inside of a maze you hide away/where nobody cares who you are/caught in a lie you can't escape 9. All For Us - Labrinth, Zendaya guess you figured my two times two/always equates to one/dreamers are selfish -- i'm taking it all for us, all/doing it all for love 10. Cruel Devotion - Night Club do you want me? tell me true/on my knees and now i'm begging you/loving you is such a cruel devotion 11. Who Are You, Really? - Mikky Ekko i have nothing left to prove/cause i have nothing left to lose/see me bare my teeth for you/who, who are you? 12. Heartbreak Feels So Good - Fall Out Boy is there a word for a bad miracle?/nobody said the road was endless/nobody said the climb was friendless 13. Some People - Dan Mangan cause it's too easy to be righteous when you eat what you've been fed/some people don't question what they've read/some people should 14. SELF-SABOTAGE - Waterparks i'll self sabotage/if you like when we talk i'll dislocate my jaw/what the fuck is wrong with me 15. Matches - Huxlxy bring me the ashes/set me alight/i'd rather burn than say goodbye 16. SICK - Chandler Leighton never let anyone see your guard down/too proud, just stop, keep my frozen/iced out, i'm six feet underground 17. Black Wave - K. Flay shaking in my own cage/what do i believe? i believe/waiting on a black wave/living under bad days 18. Middle Finger - Bohnes you show me love and then spit in my face/making your money off all of my pain 19. still feel. - half-alive when i'm furthest from myself/feeling closer to the stars/i've been invaded by the dark/trying to recognize myself when i feel i've been replaced 20. Rather Die - Barns Courtney i came to kill 'em, now i'm/wipin' the spit from my eyes/i take a beating but i/i'll never give up 21. Lake Effect Kid - Fall Out Boy oh i've got the skyline in my veins, forget your night time/sumer love on a gurney with a squeaky wheel/and joke us, joke us til Lakeshore Drive comes back into focus/i just wanna come back to life 22. Stronger - Kanye West n-now-now that, that don't kill me/can only make my stronger -- do anybody make real shit anymore?/bow in the presence of greatness/cause right now thou hast forsaken us 23. Bulletproof - La Roux, GAMPER & DADONI i won't let you turn around/and tell me now i'm much too proud/all you do is fill me up with doubt/this time, baby, i'll be bulletproof 24. What Do You Want - Nico Vega you can go ahead and hate me/for bringing in news, but you could still choose/ain't going to be a party/but you turn it all down, down, down/say, what do you want?/what do you want from me? 25. I'm Gonna Win - Rob Cantor you've seen me before, you'll see me again 26. Hero - Martin Harrix, JVKE

a thousand voices whisper noise/they plan my fall from grace/whoa-oh, i know/you say you want a hero, you don’t

[bulletsandbracelets]

Finished Arcane and it was gorgeous. I just have thoughts and wanted to share.

I’m not going to say that objectively it was bad in any way. It was gorgeous. The animation was stunning, the message was well portrayed, it just… subjectively left me disappointed. I couldn’t figure out why until I started thinking about what I might have done instead.

I may have missed things, and I’m 100% not saying what I would have done makes a better story. It just would have been more satisfying for me as a wrap.

Season 2 felt like it forgot about season 1 by the end. Nothing in season 1 thematically mattered except for Victor’s (and a bit of Jinx’s) arcs. They kicked off an entirely new direction, and entirely new overarching theme, without in any way resolving the first. (Aside from a bit of visualizations towards the end).

I would have saved Victor’s story for a new series. I would have had Ambessa’s attack be a smokescreen and had her retreat from Piltover having achieved her real (new) objective; stealing Victor, who would not have woken up in this series.

This allows for the conflict against Ambessa to be the pinnacle of act 2 and leaves the entirety of act 3 to resolve things between Piltover and Zaun. Caitlyn and Vi. Vi and Jinx.

I feel like a stronger ending would have been Jinx and Vi achieving what Vander and Silco never could. With Ekko’s help, and Caitlyn’s, making Zaun happen and moving forward towards healing between the two cities. I like Sevika on the council a lot, but it wasn’t enough imo. That combined with an independent under city, represented by an ambassador on the council, would have fulfilled the arc of the entire story.

There would have been room for character plots to not be rushed. Caitlyn could have had more screen time to work through her realization of Ambessa’s betrayal and the lessons learned. Vi and Jinx would have had more time to at least come to terms with each other. Jinx could have actually become the leader of the undercity that they teased in the opening. She could have realized that there was a purpose behind Silco’s mission outside of revenge and Ekko could have helped her to realize a better way to honor his legacy. Achieving his dream.

And then we could have had an entirely separate series where Jace and Mel team up with Ekko and Jinx, go to Noctus, and confront Ambessa. An entire series to set up the idea of flawed people not being broken where Jinx is learning to come to terms with her past, Mel with her newfound magic and heritage, and Victor with his power. A new setting, new characters, all of it with actual time to breathe because we’ve closed up the old ones well enough to move on.

I feel the only characters done justice in act 2 were Jinx and Ekko. Their arcs were beautifully written and really came to a fantastic place (though Ekko didn’t have far to go). Everyone else got short changed and it’s really too bad they tried to fit so much in 9 episodes. It was stunning. But it felt so much more empty and detached than act 1. There wasn’t as much of a heart to it.

I enjoyed it. But season 1 was really something special, and season 2 doesn’t quite hit the same mark imo.

[f1shbonez]

"Stop it! That’s enough, okay? That’s enough!" (Vi)

Jinx didn’t recognise the sound that left her throat as she rounded on the enforcer with every bit of rage she deserved. There was NO WAY she was staying here! Just because Ekko was taking his sweet time making a decision didn’t mean everyone else had to play nice. Not when Miss High-And-Mighty had the information needed to destroy them all. Was she seriously the only one seeing the dangers here?! Hot-shot enforcer returns the gemstones and stomps on all the trencher trash terrorists: Case closed and a big juicy promotion! Sheesh. It was like everyone had forgotten all of a sudden that the only good enforcer was a dead one. 

"Stop it! That’s enough, okay? That’s enough!" 

A flash of incensed disbelief consumed Jinx’s face at Vi’s intervention before hardening into renewed anger. 

Ohhhhhh, so it’s like THAT, is it? 

Yeah. Figures. 

That was fine! Totally fine! Vi wasn’t the only one who’d changed sides. What was her deal, anyway? The sister she knew wasn’t one to shy away from a fight. She also wouldn’t have risked her neck for an enforcer. A cruel, humourless smirk found Vi as Jinx’s fingers lifted the barrel of her pistol. 

I’m stronger than you now. 

She had all her toys back again. All of them! Hand-delivered by Ekko for being a loyal Firelight. How was this for loyal? Blasting the enforcer’s brains out felt like a pretty good way to keep things safe ‘n sound. Can’t lead poison back to the bug-nest if you never leave, after all. 

And what about Vi? She was no match for her sweet baby sister’s shiny guns, chompers and new toys. Toys that worked real good. She’d even share! Hunger bled into the rigid lines of Jinx’s lips. What would Vi sound like, balled up and screaming on the floor with a stingy attached? 

“She started it!” Jinx snarled, blue eyes flashing past Vi in an attempt to see where the six-foot-coward had retreated to. Ohoho, she’d find her! Maybe some of Ekko’s bugs would help, too. None of them were wild on this dumb idea, anyway. Maybe they just needed someone brave enough to take the first swing. 

A frustrated growl simmered at the edge of Jinx’s breath as her feet wound around Vi, pressing for a break she could duck through. 

What’s wrong sis? 

Too scared to hit me? 

You can hit me. 

Go on.

Do it. 

I DARE you. 

“Move.”

[zaunseye]

Being broken free from the chains of tradition and complacency was never a comfortable experience. He remembered the night his whole world had changed, and he was reborn into the stronger man he was today. It was a liberating feeling -- to be so free from who he used to be. He wished to spread that same lesson to those who needed it, and release their inner monsters. It seemed, in this case, that he had succeeded.

The name illuminated much about the teenager before him, as well as Benzo's mentality in naming him. That old man always did have a habit of giving people his own names. He'd even given Silco the nickname of 'Fiver' when he was younger, because he liked to play five point with other peoples hands. He'd always hated the nickname, only putting up with it for Vander's sake when they could all still could have considered each other 'friends'.

"Ekko... Like an echo of the past," he said with a revelatory tone. "I understand now. No wonder you held so fiercely to the memories. You were taught that they were what made you yourself." With a shake of his head, he released a disappointed sigh. "Benzo was such a fool. He saddled his child with shackles to yesterday, rather than wings for tomorrow. There's no way to continue into the future freely with a name like that."

He heard the doctor enter the room from behind and turned to face him. The Mad Chemist approached with a gilded box in his hands. Reaching out, he took the box from him, giving the man a calm nod of his head. He knew what this was, because he had ordered its creation the day he left his captive to suffer through the drip feed of shimmer. His fingers traced around the edges of the box as he walked back to Ekko's side. "Let's discuss a little possibility. A scenario, if you will."

"Say I release you from your restraints," he proposed. Behind him, the doctor left the room in favor of other projects. "Give you the tools you need to maintain the connection with your true self. In return, will you would work for me." He opened the box to show a mask, designed to carry canisters of concentrated shimmer vapor. "Think of it. Together, we can make wider strides in the direction of Zaun's independence."

The experience with shimmer was different than when he was young. Before, he was young and didn't know what he was doing. Didn't know what he was getting into. It affected him differently, then. It clouded the memories, but he was inexperienced and couldn't control himself. The monster inside him had only just begun then, barely there.

Ekko realized now, that even though he had stopped using shimmer, that monster never went away. That monster continued to grow along with him, adapting to every change. It integrated itself into him without him realizing that, either. Sometimes it would slip out, usually in the form of more violent streaks. The rage that had taken over on the cargo ship, it was just grief.

Now, as a 21 year old man, he had full control of himself, however that monster was a core part of who he was. He could feel the excitement of it all pulsing through him like electricity. Never again would he want to live without this feeling again. There was the risk, outside of this room, that someone would try to make that decision for him. Something he would punish them for if they tried.

"Truthfully, I've never been more free than I am now." It felt so satisfying admitting now. In the end Silco had won the game, but so had he, in his own way.

Eyes trailed briefly down to Silco's hands, noticing how close they were to release in his restraints. However, he simply looked disinterested. There was no urgency of escaping, in fact the thought didn't even cross his mind. For now he was perfectly satisfied with staying how he was. Anything to feel that constant pumping of shimmer.

There was a small debate, whether it would be worth giving Silco his name. The former Firelight knew he was being observed as he once again made eye contact as both heard and felt fingers tap against the table. "No need to ask her, I doubt she hardly remembers who I am, anyway."

"My name is Ekko." He finally uttered one of the last secrets Silco had yet to know. "Benzo gave it to me before I lost my parents, something about a play on time or whatever." For the first time, mentioning that name gave no emotional response, not even a flinch of it.

[m1lkdudss]

TOUGH LOVE

ft. ekko

PAIRING: ekko x gn! reader.

GENRE: fluff, valentine’s day, && enemies to lovers.

CONTENT WARNING: N/A.

“YOU LIKE ME, DON’T YOU?” HIS TAUNTING HAD Y/N HOLDING THEIR BREATH. “and this letter, it’s from you,” ekko held the heart-shaped letter between his index finger and pointer, just above their head so when they tried to reach for it he’d yank it just out of their arms reach. “you’re an ass,” Y/N coldly sneered, a hand pressed to his chest as they jumped up in an attempt to grab at the sappy love letter. tears glossed over Y/N’s eyes but in that moment ekko hadn’t noticed, all he was concerned about was an answer.

“look, it’s a simple yes or no question L/N. do you like me?” the silence that followed after made ekko frown, raising the letter up as high as his arm would allow him to before repeating the question once more: “do you like me?” this time his voice was a lot more firm, more straightforward than he usually acted with them. “no i don’t, now give it back!” regret seeped from every word that left their trembling lips, this time it caught ekko’s attention and his confidence started to falter. “wait— are you alright? i was just messing around i’m sorry—” though before he could come out with his apology, a harsh knee to his groin had him doubling over and dropping the paper heart. “yes i fucking like you! but you weren’t supposed to find out! not… not like this!” although the pain sent to his groin was devastating, the pain in their voice hurt him more and he struggled to get up. “agh— Y/N…” he groaned, watching them storm off without further explanation. “you dumbass…” he seethed, rolling his eyes and slowly standing upright.

Y/N was right, the letter was not meant to reveal itself to him. ekko’s best guess was that they were planning to give it to him but last minute chickened out and threw it away which was where he found it, crumpled up in the common room’s trash can. although the paper wasn’t signed the prissy language used and the handwriting gave away their identity nicely.

he waited till nightfall, where he knew they’d be back to make a midnight coffee. he remembered when they were younger… eh, fourteen years old? they’d experience frequent encounters, ekko up to get a late night snack after training and Y/N? a warm cup of coffee. they wouldn’t talk, just glare daggers at each other as he dug through the cupboard and Y/N waited for the water to boil. ekko was sure that throughout those encounters was when he started to develop a shallow crush on the up tight fool, and those feelings only got stronger the more they started to partner up for jobs.

“what are you doing here?” Y/N’s voice startled him out of his thoughts, making ekko jump as he stood next to the kettle. “just making a coffee, like i always do,” his words were sarcastic, ekko never liked coffee it was too bitter for him, and that made Y/N chuckle. “sure sure,” they watched him make a coffee, knowing damn well that he was preparing it for them with the specific amounts of sugar and creamer he’d add to the steaming beverage. “i’m sorry i kicked you— did your balls survive?” their question made ekko snort and turn away with embarrassment as he laughed. “they’ll manage, though they’re sort of accustomed to your pointy-ass knee ya know,” he retorted and laughter filled the air. Y/N laughed so hard that tears built up in their eyes but they never left like they usually did, instead those tears spilt past their cheeks and short laughs escalated into drawled out sobs.

it took ekko a long second to realize that they started to cry but when he finally came to his senses he was quick to wrap his muscular arms around them. at first his hands hovered with hesitation, having never touched a hair on Y/N’s body in a loving and affectionate way but they soon relaxed against them with ease. one of his hands sat on their head, the other on the small of their back as he stared down at them with a frown. “i didn’t mean to push you into confessing but… i’m glad you did,” although it may have not looked like it, with his calm facade, ekko was flustered. the way his eyebrows creased and he bashfully looked away told Y/N everything they needed to know. “re…ally?” they uttered out, E/C eyes widening before they softly hit his chest. “you could’ve confessed too, ya know!” at that moment their voice sounded stern, hard as nails, but the way their lips gently curled upwards let ekko know that they were only pulling his leg.

“oh really? hmmm, okay then… how about this?” a small smirk fell to ekko’s lips and soon he was grabbing Y/N by the waist and hoisting them onto the kitchen counter. “Y/N, my dearest… i’ve got something i need to tell you…” he started as a joke, though as he progressed his smile started to falter. “i don’t know when it started but my love for you is blistering up like the callouses on my hands,” he tried to steer what he was saying back into a joke but as he looked into their eyes he couldn’t help but get nervous. ekko swallowed the lump in his throat as they reached for his face, their hand was delicate as it landed on his upper cheekbone.

“your face… it’s warm,” they smiled and pulled him in for a hug. as they pressed his face against the softness of their chest they whispered, so softly as to not embarrass themselves: “i love you too.”

the two enjoyed themselves and by the time they were done with each other— with their tender moment of Y/N atop the counter and ekko lovingly leaning into them— the coffee was cold and the sun peeked over the horizon.

[liquorisce]

honey, we can run forever

pairing: eren x mikasa

rating: E; 18+

summary: Eren is not a simple man, he doesn’t want simple things, and he doesn’t love, simply. Because as much as he wants Mikasa to be happy, the thought of her forgetting him twists inside him painfully, a knife in his already diminishing soul.

or

cabin eren likes that mikasa grew her hair longer. (so he can pull on it when he's fucking her from behind)

ao3

“Honey, we can run forever, if forever's what's in store

Oh, time doesn’t love you like I love you,

So take me home.”

Mikky Ekko

Unbelievable, he thinks.

He feels it as he sees her walking with the others, sandwiched between Armin and Jean, as they tease her over something trivial. He sees it when she first discovers the confection they call ice cream.

She’s unbelievable. Her strength, her presence… her beauty.

There’s a melancholy to it, to the way he looks at her today. Because even though he’s never seen her so relaxed, so carefree, so guileless and lost in her surroundings (maybe just once before in the ocean, and she’d looked beautiful even then).

It tugs at him when she calls him, the same way she’s always called him, ever since they were children and innocent and clueless, the way she comes up to him with the most self-conscious smile, offering him what she just discovered.

He can’t tell her it isn’t new to him, that none of this is. He can’t tell her that when he tastes the ice cream she offers him now, he’s had it before, or at least he remembers it, because now he can remember his future, and that’s something he doesn’t even know how to explain.

So he takes it from her anyway, relishing in the treat that she relished in, partaking in a small piece of joy, something he can share with her.

He wonders when was the last time he saw her in civilian clothes. Especially like this - Mikasa had always been partial to long, flowing, skirts. That’s just who she was, and if this life hadn’t done this to her, that’s who she would have been, carefree and indulgent… and free.

And at that moment he’s never felt a stronger urge than to see her like that. To witness the beauty of Mikasa in a different life, maybe a different life with him.

…

He'd asked her to forget him. No, he'd begged. He heard his own voice, raspy and choked up at that moment, overcome with Mikasa's tears, and the cruel nature of their reality.

In that moment, standing outside their little cabin, nestled in the woods, far far away from any kind of reality, in the beautiful golden glow of the sunset that bathed her delicate face, all he'd wanted was her happiness. A long life filled with love and joy for the love of his life even if it was a life without him.

But Eren is not a simple man, he doesn’t want simple things, and he doesn’t love, simply. Because as much as he wants Mikasa to be happy, the thought of her forgetting him twists inside him painfully, a knife in his already diminishing soul.

It’s a stain in his mind, spreading, and it darkens him to the point where he can’t even look at her anymore without thinking of her smiling, beautiful, hair long and free in the wind, a child hugging her knees. A man who holds her waist with pride.

It makes him sick. It’s a vision he wants to reach out and grab and crush, make it so small until it ceases to exist. Vaguely he realizes just how far gone he is, but he doesn’t want her smiles to belong to anyone else.

He doesn’t even notice the effect his darkening mood has on her, until she asks him, tentatively. “... Did I do something to upset you, Eren?”

He’s stumped really, doesn’t know how to respond because he doesn't know how to say that she could never upset him, not as long as she’s with him. Pulling her onto his lap, he tries to dredge up a smile. “... You know me, I’ve always been moody.”

She rests her forehead against his, and he can feel her cool breath as she speaks, a small hitch in her throat as she says “... maybe I can improve your mood?”

It still makes him breathless when she speaks to him this way - coy, teasing... flirtatious? And when he thinks of the possibility that she might speak to another man this way, it leaves a bad taste in his mouth, his grip on her waist tightening.

She litters kisses along his jaw, fingers deftly undoing the ties on the front of his shirt, grazing the faint bit of chest hair that peeks out. It takes very little for her to turn him on and she knows it, a pleasing hum at the back of her throat as she feels him get aroused under her.

It’s an intensely addictive feeling, her lips, her fingers, and the more Eren feels himself give into it, the more the irrational anger bubbles over, his mouth betraying his displeasure when he thinks of her speaking this way to someone else. Would she touch him like this, caressing his chest, pressing her enticing body against his the same way?

Would she grind her hips against another man’s erection?

Would she sigh so temptingly into another man’s lips?

He can’t help the growl that spills out of his lips, and he nips her lips angrily, greedily. She recoils for a minute, grey eyes startled, her palm covering her lips. “... Eren, what was that,” -

He lifts her easily, strong muscled thighs wrapping around his hips as he carries her to the bed, pressing his lips gently to hers in apology. As he lays her out in front of him, skirt hitched up to her waist, his green eyes are stormy as he struggles with his words. “... You,” you’re beautiful, he thinks, “You don’t even realize,” -

He chokes, unable to continue, unable to explain the dark cloud brewing in his mind. He pulls the scarf off and discards it on the floor, fingers moving to the buttons on her sweater.

“... You’re all I have left Mikasa,” he wonders if that is enough for her to understand, but judging from the way she looks at him, a mixture of confused and aroused, it isn’t. “You’re all I have,” he murmurs again, before divesting her of her skirt and pressing a kiss to her inner calf. “Sometimes I can’t bear it.”

“... I don’t,” -

She doesn’t need to say it, he knows she doesn’t understand. How could she? She wasn’t like him, she loved him without complication, for the longest time, with the most straightforward dedication. But Eren’s always loved her in hiding, the way he does now, running away from the whole world into an illusion, where it’s just her and him and nobody else... to the only place where he could have her completely, only his.

“My time’s running out, Mikasa,” he says with vehemence. No longer depressed, but just angry. Angry that there was a timer on their relationship, a deadline for the time he had with the girl he loved for so long, he can’t even remember a time where he hadn’t loved her.

“... I have you now,” he whispers possessively, cupping his hand around her heat, hooking a finger into her panties to pull it down. “... But not much longer.” He takes a minute to appreciate the sight in front of him, Mikasa naked from the waist down, and he confesses, “... It drives me insane.”

If she weren’t completely, irrevocably in love with him, she might have thought he looked as insane as he felt, green eyes wild, hair messy from where she’s run her fingers through it. She doesn’t like to dwell on it either, they’d promised each other that they wouldn’t bring it up, they wouldn’t talk about their friends, or the war, or the fact that the clock was ticking on their love. “... Only you, Eren, that’s all I want to focus on,” she’d told him, breathlessly, when they’d first spoken of running away, and that’s how she wanted it to stay.

Because she can’t imagine a life without him, without the boy who’d been there for her ever since she thought she had nothing else. “We said we wouldn’t think about it,” she whispers, doing her best not to let her own thoughts stray there, there would be time for that aplenty when the only way she could keep him with her would be with tear-filled memories.

“Not think about it?” The anger betrays him, seeping into his impassioned voice, “... How can I?” His words are harsh, biting, deliberate with the scraping of his teeth against her nipple. “It’s all I think of nowadays, Mikasa.” Her hands thread into his hair when he uncovers her shirt to suck on her breast. “... That someday someone else might touch you this way.”

She inhales sharply when he squeezes her breast to the point of pain. “... Never.”

“You say that now,” he says, with melancholy, but someday you’ll do this with another man, is something he doesn’t add, when he slips a finger through her panties, testing how wet she’s become.

“... God, I’m so selfish, Mikasa,” he pants, relishing the sounds she makes, the way her beautiful grey eyes clouded with lust. “... But I want those moans only for myself.”

“Eren, I’ve only ever wanted you, you know that,” -

“I know,” he murmurs, selfishly. He doesn’t let her catch her breath, slipping another finger inside, letting her adjust to the pace that he sets, “... all this,” he lets her taste how wet she is, smearing her juices on her lips before he kisses her, “It’s only for me, isn’t it?”

He can feel her grow impatient, hips moving up to meet his, to grind against him, desperate for some friction. “You’re not lying are you, my love?” And he knows she isn’t because Mikasa is so honest with her body, her mouth, her words, as she whispers, “... I’m all yours, Eren.”

It pleases him so much to hear it, even though he’s always known it, through his jealousy, his possessiveness, there’s never been much doubt about just how much Mikasa is his. She reaches for him, for the drawstrings of his pants that should have come undone a long time ago.

It’s unbelievable just how good she can make him feel with her mouth alone (with her words, her smiles, her moans), soft and warm and wet and so, so eager to please. She works him up till he’s slick and throbbing, lips smacking around the length of him until he threads his fingers into her hair and pulls on it, grey eyes unfocused and watery from how deep she had him mere moments ago. “... You look so pretty with my dick in your mouth,” he confesses, and he doesn’t even know where he gets the courage to say it, because Mikasa looks so pretty all the time anyway.

“... Eren,” she whispers urgently, and he can see the way she’s pressing her thighs together, can see the urgency she wants to convey. “... I need you.”

“I know you do, my love,” he whispers, caressing the side of her face, “... Be a good girl for me and get on your hands and knees for me.” She blushes prettily but moves to accommodate him exactly how he tells her to, on her knees and her hands, turning to look at him in anticipation.

He swats her ass playfully, and she wiggles. “Raise your ass for me, Mikasa, don’t hide.”

She’s so obedient, so beautiful, and the darker side of him relishes it immensely. He loves the way she listens to him, how eager she is to please him, and there’s an irrational, selfish thought, that surely this side of her, submissive and pliant Mikasa, will only be his.

He spreads her with his fingers and blows gently, and she lets out a long whine. He nips at her outer lips possessively, lapping at the juices that betray her arousal. “... So needy,” he whispers, and in a breathless whimper, she supplies, “... only for you, Eren.”

He groans as he slips his length inside of her, inside her ready heat, so deep inside of her, he’s almost certain she’s taken hold of his soul. “... Mine,” he whispers, almost subconsciously, kissing the soft skin over her spine, licking gently over her vertebra.

She bucks back against him, eager for him to move, but his fingers splay around her throat possessively. “... So desperate for me, huh, Mikasa?” His fingers tighten ever so slightly as he drives into her, and she can feel her flutter around his length as he gets rough with her. He thrusts again and again, his hold loosening, not wanting to hurt her.

But what Eren doesn’t realize is that Mikasa needs this as much as he does, that he could do anything to her and she wouldn’t break. That when he chokes her and drives into her, everything else ceases to exist, except him and his all-consuming presence. “Do anything, Eren,” she begs, a hoarse whisper from the back of her throat, “... just don’t be gentle.”

Because their love had never been gentle, it had always been violent, cruel, asking too much of them, burdening them with pleasure but only with the promise of pain. And now with the things that played on both their minds, she’d rather he drove it out of her mind with the sheer intensity that only he could give her.

“I wasn’t planning to be,” he murmurs, yanking on her ponytail, watching her back arch beautifully as he fills her completely before thrusting into her again. He has a stray thought about how pretty she looks with her hair grown out again, sleek and soft and so perfect for him to hold onto as he drives into her from behind.

The angle is so good, so deep, that she whimpers, “... I can’t… I’m so close, Eren,” and that’s when he knows he has to see her. He pulls out of her quickly - she whines at the loss of fullness - and demands, “... Lie on your back, my love. I want to see you feel good.”

It embarrasses her how easily he vocalizes what he wants, but Eren’s always been good at that, and Mikasa’s happy to make him feel happy. So she complies. He parts her legs, bending them onto his shoulders and slips into her so easily, she groans.

He bites down on the soft swell of her calves to suppress a groan because he’s slid so deep into her wetness, he feels like he could almost drown. He fucks her thoroughly, building a pace that he can no longer say he’s in control of, his hips bucking into her erratically. Her orgasm is building, and he can sense it in the way that she quivers, how she looks away from him, biting her lip, and he doesn’t like it.

Grasping her chin with his fingers, he turns it towards him, thumb forcing her mouth open. “Don’t do that,” he breathes, “... I want to hear you say my name.” He bends over and licks gently on her earlobe, lavishing the way she likes, the way he knows she’s weak for. “... I want to hear you scream it, Mikasa.”

And she does.

…

He watches her sleep, after. He tucks her in and watches her breathing deepen, her hair framing her face beautifully on her pillow.

She’s even more beautiful after he’s fucked her, lips swollen from the way he’s kissed them, skin bruising delicately under the pale moonlight. She bruised so easily under his fingers, from where he enclosed them around her throat, and for the briefest moment, he feels bad about it - about causing her any kind of pain.

But the larger part of him, the part that screams for nothing but his own gratification, wonders if they will stay long, long after he’s gone, reminding anyone who dares to look, whom she truly belongs to.

- fin -

a/n: here's some soap for you to clean yourselves after this!! if you want some more cabin eremika that's sorta like this, check out my other oneshot "one of these days, ill know" :)

(btw, I'm always looking for feedback to improve, so please lemme knoww~)

[library-phantom]

Stay - Kaz Brekker x Inej Ghafa

I’m happy to be writing again, but I’m a little nervous about this one. This was inspired by the song “Stay” by Rihanna and Mikky Ekko, but I’m not sure if anyone did this before. I really hope I did justice to these characters! As usual, I apologize for any English mistakes... The parts in italic are the lyrics to the song.

Summary:  After Inej left Ketterdam, Kaz remembers some moments he had with her while avaliating his actions at the time.

Warnings: a little angst (sorry...)

(Gif isn’t mine)

As much as he would never say it aloud, Kaz hated to admit to himself he was feeling lonely lately. Ever since he became the leader of the Dregs his fame at the Barrel and in Ketterdam in general became bigger. He got the reputation he fought so hard to achieve, but, there was still something that he felt that was missing. He still could remember when he saw Inej for the last time all those months ago, how she smiled while walking into her ship with her crew, finally able to enjoy her freedom. He knew it was what she deserved, what she wanted. But, a little part of him was still worried about when he would see her again.He lifted his head from the papers scattered around his desk and took a deep breath, letting his mind take him back to the first time he saw her. A smirk came to his face when he remembered how he didn’t hear Inej approaching him that night. She was really brave to do that at the Menagerie to tell him she could help him. She never could do that to him ever again, but that didn’t stop her trying.

All along it was a fever

A cold sweat, hot headed believer

I threw my hands in the air, said, "Show me something"

He said, "If you dare, come a little closer"

As she worked with him, he appreciated her talents as The Wraith and how valuable her abilities were to his plans. But, he also began to feel something different about her. It was more than just admiration on how she could get any information about anything and anyone or how fast she improved her fighting skills to survive at the Barrel. No, it was something else. Something different...and it scared him.

Not really sure how to feel about it

Something in the way you move

Of course, he also realized how Inej tried to see a good side of him. He lost count on how many times she questioned his strategies in a job and how that led to some discussions between them. Unless Kaz was wrong, he thought it was almost like she wanted to save him somehow. But, he was the Dirty Hands, the Bastard of the Barrel. An option to redemption wasn’t something he could consider. He wouldn’t even think about that.

It's not much of a life you're living

It's not just something you take, it's given

Despite all of this, she was still always with him. There was the contract that Inej had to follow to get her freedom, obviously, but he wondered if there was something else that made her stay at his side. He never forgot how she was ready to help him when he made his way at the Dregs with his fists to get the gang back. There was also the way she brought little pieces of information to him after the whole situation with Van Eck was solved and he became leader of the Dregs. It had to be something more than just loyalty, right? After all, she was already free from her contract by then, he made sure of that.

Round and around and around and around we go

Oh, now tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know

Then, his memories took him back to that night at the hotel bathroom. Kaz still had doubts on how he was strong enough to offer to help her with her bandages that night. The way he felt her skin at his fingers, how she also told him it wasn’t easy for her, but both of them still tried. He wished he could have been stronger that night. 

Makes me feel like I can't live without you

It takes me all the way

I want you to stay

But, he also remembered that afternoon at the ship when they were coming back from the Ice Court and Inej told him her plans after that job was over. He still remembered how he asked her to stay with him, but he was too weak to actually look at her to say that. He wanted her, but he didn’t feel strong enough to actually say that while looking at her eyes. Kaz Brekker, the Bastard of the Barrel, was too scared to look at her. He wondered if he would ever be able to know what she was thinking at that moment.

Ooh, the reason I hold on

Ooh, 'cause I need this hole gone

Well, funny you're the broken one

But I'm the only one who needed saving

'Cause when you never see the light

It's hard to know which one of us is caving

At that moment he decided to stop those memories returning to him and go back to the documents that were on his desk. He took a few minutes to focus again when he got a sensation that he could never forget, not matter how long it would take for it to come back to him. He let a smirk come to his face while enjoying that feeling again.

“Hello, Inej”. 

 He finally lifted up his head and saw Inej standing next to the wall. She offered him a shy smile in return and Kaz felt completed again. Even after all those months being away, Inej would always climb through the window when visiting him, but Kaz would always know she was around. It was an old habit that neither of them could ever lose. For a split second, he wondered how long she would be in Ketterdam this time, but he quickly put that thought aside. She was there now and it was all that mattered. 

[fatebreaking-a]

❂

// @sheriff-caitlyn / I’ve got a confession to make.  ( Ori )

=========================================================

“I admired you.”

Her eyes open slowly, not fluttering, not nervous. They simply open, as her confession opens. Simply, clearly, concisely, she begins where all stories ought to begin - the very beginning.

“When we were much younger, I admired you very much.” It was no less than a lifetime ago to the blonde woman as she perches upon a desk, feet swinging lazily. Held between her arms is the Ball, whining sadly as melancholy overtakes Orianna Reveck’s voice. The Ball is proof it is her, that despite being flesh and blood, she is that woman.

She ought to have died. 

It is not survivor’s guilt that carries this thought forward, but simple reality. A simple reality that she is here, alive - perhaps alive enough to be considered ‘well’. How does Caitlyn remember her? What does Caitlyn expect? Though melancholy threatens to flood her chest and drown her, her brow does not crease and she does not sigh. Robotic.

“When we were younger, I saw a Piltover that was plagued with problems. You may not recall... No, it is possible that the Orianna you knew was not like that. Are my expectations a burden upon you?” The question is not rhetorical. It is genuine, a genuine curiosity born of emotional blindness. The muscle memory of her emotions had been robbed from her and now she found both anger and joy hard to place. Her expressions never matched her voice, out of sync with one another. Where her voice sang with melancholy only moments ago, her tone is flat and unshifting as her expression twists instead. This is what is known as ‘baggage’, she thinks. However, when else except during a confession was one meant to speak of their baggage?

“I looked up to you.”

And as she sits there, thinking and thinking and thinking, repeating the same words again and again, she remembers what could have been. Swans dancing on stage, ballerinas twisting and twirling and perfectly in sync. That wasn’t this world anymore. But she remembers. She remembers it all, like a ghost inside her head, screaming, aching, remembering each and every time she died -

“You are. Uncomfortable. With the sight of me. It is rare for me to... find someone who is not. It is rare for me to notice discomfort. But I did notice.” ‘I’m not her’, she realizes she wants to scream, but the desire is so disjointed from her reality that she only furrows her eyebrows in thought. It was this difficult to explain that, thanks to Ekko and Janna, a hundred thousand shattered timelines scraped inside her head like rusted gears. It sounds unreasonable. It sounds unbelievable, lacking the scientific explanation that she so prefers - that she escaped the demands of fate and did not die. Is that even true. Perhaps I am just crazy.

“I apologize, my thoughts have gotten somewhat sidetracked. Nevertheless, I saw twin cities that were short of hope. You may recall that my mother perished to the Blight, the Gray of Zaun. I grew up in my father’s shop, perfecting my skill with prosthetics. My time with you was a reprieve that soothed my heart.” And normally, a woman in her early twenties saying such things would have inflection in her voice, emotion. She has nothing. Sometimes, Orianna thinks, her human body feels like a cage. She looks out at the window, staring at the horizon. Up her neck rises scarring from a lethal discharge of energy that this body has never received. The institute never existed. The Institute killed me. This is where she should sigh, where her lips ought to crease in thought, where her face ought to express what she was feeling. It does not. She does not.

“I believed in you. I still do. I suppose that is not much of a confession. You are famous now. Accomplished. There are many who look up to you now, but when you were just Caitlyn, your belief in ‘what could be’ inspired me. I thought to forsake my specialty in prosthetics and train for the force as well.” And then came the explosion, she leaves hanging.

“When I saw the suffering in Zaun, I thought of my mother. And I thought of you. What you stood for. You may not remember, I may have promised ‘another Caitlyn’, but I said to you that I would make a difference as well. I would not let you do it alone. I would support you. I believed in your dream.” Her voice cracks, for the first time in months, in years.

“I broke my promise with you. I’m very... sorry...” Tears form in the corner of her eyes and she blinks them away, taking a slow breath to even out her emotions. Does she seem fragile in that moment? Does she seem human? She cannot bring herself to look at Caitlyn and confirm it.

“When I saw the suffering in Zaun, I knew I had to go. No matter if I was called foolish or it was dangerous or I had no obligation, I had to go.” She had heard every possible beratement of her decision, and she was personally suffering the consequences. ‘Are you trying to be a hero? Do you think selfless acts mean anything in this city?’ All that and more. But she could not leave it up to Caitlyn. She could not leave it up to Jayce. She could not leave a better tomorrow to other people.

She had promised.

“A better tomorrow.”

And as a result, there was meant to be no more tomorrow for her. Not ever again. She was meant to be condemned to a heartless gilded cage of metal, unbreaking and unfeeling. “I will not break so easily, even in this body,” she says suddenly. Her gaze grows serious as sparks form in her eyes, glowing with purpose. She had to go, and although it was deeply painful that her multiyear stay in Zaun had separated her from her friend - one of her few friends.

Her eyes close as she reaches the end of her confession. Simply, clearly, concisely, she ends where all stories ought to end - the ending. The future was here and now, a better tomorrow was here and now.

“And I do not regret my decision. I am stronger for having known you and a better person for having had your company.

I am here, now, and I will not give up on a better future for everyone else.” She has left enough clues on the table for Sheriff Caitlyn Huxley to piece together that Orianna Reveck would not live to see it.

...And then, letting out an awkward little cough that makes her seem so very human, she continues.

“Although what I really wished to say was, ‘It is very good to see you again.’ I had a feeling that would not be acceptable, however.”